amy March 28th, 2007
Medical News Today has a great article that dispels 10 of the most commonly held diet and nutrition myths, including some of my favorites most hated:
- Drink eight, 8-oz. glasses of water per day. You should replace water lost through breathing, excrement and sweating each day - but that doesn’t necessarily total 64 ounces of water. It’s hard to measure the exact amount of water you have consumed daily in food and drink, but if your urine is pale yellow, you’re doing a good job. If it’s a darker yellow, drink more H2O.
- Eating carbohydrates makes you fat. Cutting carbs from your diet may have short-term weight loss benefits due to water loss from a decrease in carbohydrate stores, but eating carbs in moderation does not directly lead to weight gain. The body uses carbs for energy, and going too long without them can cause lethargy.
- All alcohol is bad for you. Again, moderation is key. Six ounces of wine and 12 ounces of beer are considered moderate amounts, and should not pose any adverse health effects to the average healthy adult. All alcohol is an anticoagulant and red wine also contains antioxidants, so drinking a small amount daily can be beneficial.
Check out the article for some more logic on common food myths.
There are some additional diet myths not featured in the article that drive me crazy, including:
- You shouldn’t eat after [insert your favorite number here] PM.
- Drinking a lot of water will “flush out” the fat.
- Organic foods are more nutritious.
- Caffeinated beverages don’t “count” as water.
- “Muscle weighs more than fat, which explains why I gained a pound last week after I exercised so much.”
- Green tea and/or dairy products are miracle weight loss foods/beverages.
What diet myths have you come across? Or do you disagree that any of these are myths?
Update:
Here’s another good article with some additional diet myths, including one of my favorites:
Organic food is always more nutritious.
Myth. Few studies have compared organic and conventionally grown foods, according to food toxicologist Carl Winter, director of the FoodSafe program at the University of California, Davis.
Some evidence suggests that organic produce may be higher in certain antioxidants, but there appears to be no nutritional advantage to organic milk and meat, he said.
The descriptor refers to the practices on the farm and not the nutritional content of the final product. When it comes to the snack aisle, don’t assume that “organic” gives you the green light to load up. An organic cheese puff is still a cheese puff.
amy March 21st, 2007
Here’s yet another study that shows American’s aren’t eating anywhere near the recommended five to nine fruit and veggie servings a day, with only 11% of participants eating both 2 fruit and 3 veggie servings a day. That is even with beans and potatoes being counted as veggies. The last time I checked beans were counted as protein and potatoes were a starch.
The article goes on to give some good suggestions for including more produce in your diet:
* Keep a bowl of fruit handy.
* Go for variety.
* Serve a salad with dinner.
* Add beans to chili or soup.
* If you’re ordering pizza, add some veggie toppings.
* Put chopped vegetables in pasta sauce or lasagna.
* Dip fresh fruit in low-fat yogurt or pudding.
* Dip raw veggies in low-fat salad dressing.
Here are a few additional ones of my own:
* Add diced onions and peppers to tacos or burritos.
* Add carrots, peas, celery and/or corn to chicken noodle soup.
* Add frozen or fresh veggies to casseroles.
* Add raisins or dried cranberries to oatmeal and baked goods.
* Snack on frozen fruit, such as frozen grapes or blueberries.
* Instead of buying fruit flavored yogurt, buy plain yogurt and add your own fruit and sweetener.
* Use veggies like carrot sticks, celery, or red pepper strips for dipping instead of chips.
read more | digg story
amy March 12th, 2007
Today went pretty well as far as my healthy goal for this week (including at least one fruit or veggie in every meal):
- For breakfast, I replaced my usual second packet of instant oatmeal with a banana
- For lunch, there were lots of veggies in my leftover (homemade) chicken fried rice, plus I also had an apple
- For a mid day snack, I traded in my typical granola bar for red pepper strips and hummus
- For dinner, I had corn with my chicken and stuffing bake
- For dessert, I had a toffee ice cream bar (see, here’s where “about 80% of the time” comes in!)
All in all I’d estimate I had about 6 fruit and veggie servings, not too shabby!
amy March 12th, 2007
Here’s a great article from MSNBC that explains why foods labeled as “low fat” and “light” do not always equal healthy.
Snack attack? Don’t be tricked by low-fat labels
This was especially eye opening:
For example, each low-fat Oreo cookie has 50 calories. The regular version has just over three calories more.
If compare the labels of the “light” and “regular” versions of foods, it often makes more sense to eat the regular version when you take the increased satisfaction level you get and higher price you pay for light foods into account. I frequently find that I get much more enjoyment (and save a lot of money) by eating regular foods and either eat a slightly smaller portion or take the (often small) calorie hit. There are still a few light foods that I buy, but in general I have switched back to regular bread, tortillas, ice cream bars, cheese, deli meats, crackers, half and half, eggs, frozen meals, yogurt, candy, etc.
One of the “series” that I have planned for this blog is to highlight certain “light” foods in comparison to their “regular” counter parts and show why light is not always better, so this article is a great introduction.
